Hungarian maestro Bela Tarr directs this black and white drama set in the early 19th century and inspired by a story about the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche. According to the tale, Nietzsche rushed to save a horse from being flogged in the street, before collapsing into the debilitating mental illness that remained with him for the rest of his life. The film imagines the days leading up to the incident, following the poverty-stricken horseman (János Derzsi) and his grown-up daughter (Erika Bók) as they go about their bleak daily existence in the biting winter winds, subsisting entirely on boiled potatoes and watching helplessly as their ailing horse gradually loses its battle to stay alive.